Till Death Do Us Part
by Vickironica
Summary: [Tomarry] Tom and Harry are soulmates in every sense of the word. Partners in crime, lovers, and at one point, horcruxes. They would both say "till death do us part" but the fact that Harry is the Master of Death, and Tom is his soulmate, means that neither of them can actually die. It's much harder to get bored living forever when you have somebody to share every moment with.
1. Chapter 1: Death Eater Ducklings

**Guys! I am back! New story because I can't update an old one for the life of me!**

 **So this story is a bit of crack, but I swear it has an actual plot and everything's great. I've actually already started on the second chapter for this, and also the second book, but let's not worry about that. (The second books is actually kinda like a prequel, so I'm hoping to publish that once I get farther into this story. Which means I actually have plans to work on this.)**

 **So, yeah, I hope you enjoy. Tom and Harry are in love and everything's wonderful. If you want more details feel free to ask me in the comments. :D**

* * *

 _FULL SUMMARY:_

 _Tom and Harry are soulmates in every sense of the word. They are partners in crime (surprisingly, it isn't usually murder), lovers, and there was that whole fiasco with Harry being a horcrux at one point, so._

 _They would both say "Till death do us part" but the fact that Harry is the Master of Death, and Tom is his soulmate, means that neither of them can actually die._

 _It's much harder to get bored living forever when you have somebody to share every moment with, after all._

* * *

"Hey Tomcat, where do you want to go next?"

"You know, I had this wonderful idea a couple weeks ago, and I have to admit, it's grown on me." Tom grinned.

Harry bumped shoulders with him casually, a smile steadily growing on his face. "Oh? What is it?"

Tom took the invitation to grab his hand, entwining their fingers. "I was thinking we could go back to my school days."

"And mess with all your Death Eater ducklings?"

"Not to mention give Dumbledore a heart attack. Maybe it'll even kill him, if we're lucky." Tom answered, walking around the darkness of in-between dimensions, still holding his soulmate's hand.

Harry's eyes matched his face, full of excitement at the idea. "So, what're you thinking?"

"Dumbledore has sent you into the past to destroy me before I become a dark lord in 5th year. You give the past Dumbledore a letter explaining what you're trying to do, and he easily believes you, since he thinks I'm the devil reincarnated." Tom paused. "He's not really wrong, but still."

"So what's the plan, Tomcat?"

"You try to gain my trust so I let my guard down around you, and I give one of the ducklings the order to become your friend so you give him your secrets. I want to know if he'll run to me or get attached to you and betray me. And I want to somehow get Dumbledore involved in this, too."

Harry had the biggest grin on his face, fully on board with the idea. Tom's grin matched his when they looked at each other. "Imagine their faces when I go to kill you and kiss you instead! And when you kiss back-!" The pure joy in the idea was too much, and Harry doubled over laughing, so much so he fell on the black void of a ground. "Just think of their faces!"

Tom wasn't on-the-floor laughing, but he had covered his mouth with his hand and was also laughing heavily. After a moment, he straightened himself out, still smiling. He leaned down to kiss Harry on his temple with a soft whisper. "Whenever you're ready, Love."

Harry grabbed his shirt and yanked Tom down, crashing his lips into the other's.

And then they were gone.

. . . . .

"Mr. Dumbledore, sir.." Harry could pull of a child very well, especially with years of practice and experience. "I was supposed to give this letter to you.."

Harry handed the elder (not compared to Harry) wizard the hot pink envelope, watching as his jovial expression became one of surprise. His eyes skimmed through the letter, seeming to go faster and faster as it went on. "You've come quite a long ways, my boy. And it seems your journey isn't over yet, I'm afraid."

Harry shook his head. "No, it isn't. But I've come to save everyone! I won't let," he sniffed in mock sadness, "I won't let my friends end up with the same fate."

The letter was seemingly written by Dumbledore from Harry's time, where going back in time was one of the only options left. Albus wrote the letter to his past self to explain Harry's mission in killing Voldemort before he was ever a big threat, and where Harry has come from.

Dumbledore was back to his grandfatherly expression (he wasn't even that old yet). "Come along, my boy, and we'll get you sorted before the opening feast tonight. Do you have all of the supplies you need?"

Harry nodded, and pulled out his infinity pouch. "Yeah, I have everything I need in here. It's got a spell that expands it from the future." That was a lie. This was Harry's personal pouch that lets him pull out anything he needs whenever he wants: a Master of Death thing. Well, technically, the pouch was empty. Harry was just able to conjure any item he wants on command, so this bag was his cover.

Dumbledore just laughed a bit, swiftly walking to the Headmaster's Office. Harry followed him, and soon they were in the office. The small boy had forgotten Dumbledore wasn't the Headmaster for a few years; right now it was Headmaster Armando Dippet.

The room looked very similar to what it once did, er, will. There were magic objects in random locations around the room, and the Headmaster's desk was buried under so many things you couldn't see it. Harry noticed that Fawkes and his perch were missing, but that was to be expected.

Harry smiled innocently, acting a bit excited. "A pleasure to meet you, sir! I've heard much of your accomplishments from my parents!" Mentioning his parents, he stopped his playful tone, taking a more serious and saddened one. ".. I know they would be proud of me coming to Hogwarts, since they are.." he choked a fake sob, " no longer able to teach me."

Dippet, luckily, seemed to get what Harry was implying, so Harry didn't have to mention it himself. There _was_ a war going on outside. "Well, Mr…"

"Peverell. Hadrian Peverell, sir."

"Mr. Peverell, we will be glad to have you here at Hogwarts. I wasn't aware there were any of the Peverell line left, but no matter. Do you mind telling me what year you will be in?" Headmaster Dipper asked, using a calm tone.

Harry thought for a moment, before announcing, "I would be in 5th year this year."

"Perfect!" He clapped his hand once. "Now, would you mind putting on this hat? It will sort you to your house for the next three years, and your house will be like your family while you're here. I'm sure they'll help you get through the grief of losing somebody you love, if you wish to talk. The war has had many casualties on both sides."

Harry nodded solemnly. He grabbed the Sorting Hat that Dippet had sent flying over with a swoosh of his wand, and put it on. Immediately, the Sorting Hat awoke.

 _'Well, well, well. I wasn't expecting to sort any students until tonight. So, what do we have- … you again. You keep coming back. Why are you here.'_

Harry grinned to himself, making both Dumbledore and Dippet raise an eyebrow. _'I'm here to kill Tomcat!'_

 _'That is a lie and we both know it.'_

 _'You're right. I'm just here to mess with the Death Eater ducklings.'_

 _'Well, might as well get this over with. Your mind gives me a headache.'_ "SLYTHERIN!"

Harry took the hat off and gave it back to Dippet, watching as his black robes he conjured upon arriving turned green and silver.

Dippet and Dumbledore both smiled, watching Harry act like a child, waving his robes around in a circle, twirling about. "Oooh! Green! I love green! People say it brings out my eyes."

Both of the adults quickly glanced at the boy's eyes, trying to see what he was talking about.

And both of the adults froze.

 _That was not just green._

That was the _exact_ shade of the killing curse. It reminded both adults distinctly of the killing curse. Of the last breath of life. Of nothing else. It was all they could think about, looking into the boy's eyes.

This boy had been through a war, and it was extremely obvious at that moment.

(On a lighter note, they thought, was that nobody would win a staring contest against this boy.)

"Can somebody show me to my dorm? I was going to take a quick trip to Diagon Alley before the feast tonight." Harry snapped them out of their stupor, looking none the wiser.

Dumbledore smiled again. "Of course, Hadrian. I'll show you the way, though it is a bit of a trek, mind you."

"Thanks!"

Harry and Dumbledore left the office, heading towards the dungeons. Obviously, Dumbledore wasn't done talking to Harry, and already knew he didn't need anything in Diagon Alley.

"So, Harry—may I call you Harry?—,"

"Sure, I guess."

"Harry, my boy, I am led to believe you know about Tom Riddle?"

Harry looked over, an unreadable gleam in his eyes. "Yes, I know about Riddle and his antics quite well. In fact, I've been trained to kill him since I was a baby."

Dumbledore returned his stare. "You have gone through quite a hard time, it seems."

"Yes." Harry replied. "I know of his manipulative tendencies, and I already have a plan to bring him down. All I ask is for you to give me time to build Riddle's trust with me and lower his guard. I would appreciate it if you stay out of my affairs with him. I don't want him to become suspicious and ruin the whole plan."

Dumbledore chuckled. "If that is what you wish, my boy, I will refrain from intervening in your mission. Just know, if you ever need my help, my door is open."

And just in time, they were at the dungeons. The elder wizard stopped in front of a bare wall, one that was very familiar to Harry. "I will keep that in mind," Harry answered.

"The password is Pureblood," The wall swung open slowly. "I hope the Slytherins will change it soon, but I doubt what they change it to will be much better."

"That's prejudice against the houses." Harry spoke icily, glaring into the dorms instead of at the professor.

Dumbledore seemed surprised by his tone, but then it turned into understanding. "Ah, I'm sorry, my boy. I did not know this was the house you came from."

"It wasn't," he denied immediately. "I came from Gryffindor. But I still don't like prejudice against the houses." Harry replied.

Dumbledore tried to chuckle softly again, but it sounded fake to both of them. "I apologize, my boy. I did not realize it was a touchy subject. Before I take my leave though, I would like to ask why you are using the name Peverell?"

"It's my name." _Duh._

"I was under the impression that the Peverell line had died out."

"I have multiple titles. I thought this one would be best."

"How did you come upon this title?"

"That's personal information. Now, if you'll excuse me, professor. I have to unpack." Harry walked further into the dorm, leaving Dumbledore behind.

Dumbledore definitely recognized the name 'Peverell'. He had spent quite a few years chasing after the Deathly Hallows with Grindelwald, after all. It was impossible he didn't remember that name and what it implied.

He walked around the dorm, exploring it once again. He had been a Slytherin—well, he'd been in all four houses before—in previous lives. Not much was different than the previous times he'd been in here, except everything looked like it was the 40's. Which, it was.

It had a dark tone, but mixed with the turquoise glow of the Great Lake, it was calming. Ravenclaw had always been his favorite, with their ceiling enchanted to look like the stars (it really was a beautiful sight), and dark tones of their all. Hufflepuff was a close second with their warm and soft colors, reminding Harry distinctly of some place he could call home. It was cozy, to sum it up. Gryffindor, on the other hand, was his very first house, and thus, he would always have a place in his heart for the dorm. Even with it's over-bold colors that demand attention.

To put it simply, Harry loved all four houses with all of his heart. (Almost as much as he loved Tom.)

Harry quickly found a room with five beds, one being unused, (his roommates being Tom, Orion Black, Anton Avery, and Abraxas Malfoy) and unpacked with a wave of his hand. Everything appeared in place, exactly as he imagined it would. Hopefully, nobody would mind that he claimed a bed first.

Doing magic quickly reminded him that he needs a wand. Harry didn't need a wand to do magic (nor did Tom, usually), but he would need it to keep up appearances. Right now, his wand was with Gellert Grindelwald, currently trying to take over some part of Europe. Summoning it would take it away from Grindelwald, but Harry didn't think that would matter. Ever since Harry had entered the time period or dimension or whatever, the Elder Wand would stop listening to Grindelwald. Harry held the title of Master of Death, and thus, was the rightful owner. The only owner.

Harry faintly wondered what would happen if Gellert didn't have his wand. Or even better, watching him freak out because the wand won't work for him anymore. He smiled to himself, planning to tell Tom once he got to Hogwarts.

But right now, he would need another wand for school. Off to Ollivanders he goes.

. . . . .

Very quickly (he just apparated; Hogwarts wards mean nothing), he arrived in Diagon Alley. Dumbledore won't even know he was gone.

Harry stepped into the old building, noting that it looked exactly the same as it did 50 years later. The raven boy failed to be surprised.

"Hello?" He stepped inside, looking around the shop. It literally looked exactly the same inside too.

Ollivander tried to sneak up on Harry, but failed in startling him. Harry could sense people's life force, and thus, it was impossible to hide or scare him. "Another student? Shouldn't the train have left a few hours ago?"

Harry turned around, nodding. "It did leave, but I've already set everything up. I'm a transfer student, you see, and I'm in need of a wand."

"You're name?"

"Hadrian Peverell."

Ollivander raised an eyebrow. "I haven't heard that name in many years."

"You wouldn't have." Harry answered vaguely.

"Well, alright, let's take a look." Ollivander agreed, still looking wary. He walked in circles, looking Harry up and down, measuring various parts of his body. "Do you know what wand will be best for you?"

"Holly and Phoenix Feather. Eleven inches. Brother to Tom Riddle's wand." Harry answered curtly.

Ollivander's eyes widened and subconsciously backed up a couple steps. "That's a very specific wand, but I do have one that matches your description."

The wandmaker went back around the counter and looked around the shelves of wands. He carefully took out a box buried in the back, and walked back to where Harry was waiting. Ollivander opened the box, and there it was, Harry's first ever wand.

"I am quite curious how you knew this wand existed. I told Mr. Riddle that his wand had a brother, but I didn't tell him the properties of the brother wand. So, how is it you knew?" Ollivander gave Harry a suspicious look, eyebrow raised.

Harry grinned slyly. "I'd say 'magic', but that excuse won't work with magical folk. So I'm gonna let you in on a secret." He paused for dramatic effect, and to place a discreet spell to keep the information from leaking. "I'm from an alternate universe that's about 50 years in the future. I'm on a super secret mission I can't tell you about." Harry winked. "This was my wand in my dimension."

Harry looked down at the familiar wand with a nostalgic expression. He brushed his hand against the wand and watched the wand accept his magic with ease. The magic swirled around him in a gold wind, making everything close to him softly float.

Ollivander was looking around the room with a bit of awe. "I suppose I'll have to believe you after what you just showed me. It seems we come very far in 50 years, to be able to cross dimensions."

"Oh, no." Harry shook his head. "This was a very special opportunity, one that may never happen again. It was an ancient magic, and it broke once I used it."

"Such a shame, but understandable. Magic is a fickle thing." Ollivander agreed.

Harry paid for the wand, then left the store. The streets were fairly empty, especially since all the Hogwarts students had left earlier this morning. The Hogwarts rush was over. The raven looked around Diagon Alley for a bit, seeing what shops existed and didn't, then apparated right back into the Slytherin dorm.

Now all he had to do was wait.

. . . . .

Finally, after a two hour nap, the feast was upon them.

Harry excitedly walked down to the feast, barely keeping himself from running the whole way. He couldn't help the giant grin that was covering his entire face, though. He could smell the delicious food from here, and it wasn't even set out yet. Harry sure hoped the food tasted as good as it did in his time.

Before he entered the Great Hall, he placed a careful mask on his face. It was carefully neutral. Harry hoped he wouldn't accidentally give the entire facade away.

He walked through the doors. There were students already sitting down, and it looked like the first years hadn't arrived yet. Just in time.

Harry moved towards the Slytherin table, watching the House's expression with a careful eye. Most were watching him out of the corner of their eyes, trying to see who the newcomer was.

Tom gave him a quick glance (15 year old Tomcat!), then went straight back to the conversation he was having. His soulmate was surrounded by the Death Eater ducklings, most of whom went back to chatting after they saw who Harry was and couldn't recognize him. They probably thought he was a Muggleborn, and thus, not important.

Harry sat down at the edge of the table, next to where the first years would sit. He poured himself a cup of pumpkin juice just in time for Tom Riddle to stride over in all his glory. At least he was living up to his old self, Harry mused.

"Hello." Tom started, a charming mask in place. Harry could see right through it. "My name is Tom Riddle. I'm a prefect, so if you ever have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. I will help you to the best of my abilities. Are you a transfer student?"

"Oh, thank you. I'm Hadrian Peverell. It's nice to meet you, Tom." Harry answered easily, ignoring every pureblood law about that last name etiquette stuff. "I was home taught until.. my parents were a casualty of the war."

Tom raised an eyebrow at 'Peverell' but accepted it easy enough. "My apologies." He used a polite tone to ask, "Why don't you come sit with my friends? There's always room for one more."

Tom's eyes held an excited gleam, but he showed no outward emotion. Obviously he was thrilled seeing his idea work out. Harry accepted the invitation. He let Tom lead him over to his ducklings, and watched Tom tell one of them to move over so Harry could sit next to Tom.

The Knights all looked mildly startled (note: understatement) that their lord made room for Harry to sit next to _him_ , but they obediently moved.

"Everyone," Tom gestured, gaining all of their attentions in seconds. "This is Hadrian Peverell. He will be.. _Sitting_ with us from now on, so make sure he feels welcome."

The Knights all got the underlying message. Harry was going to join the Death Eater ducklings, and Tom didn't want anybody to mess it up.

"Hello." Harry waved with a small smile. "I'm Harry. It's nice to meet you all."

"You're a Peverell? I was certain that line had died out." Someone with that blond of hair had to be a Malfoy, Harry thought. And he was right. "I'm Abraxas Malfoy, heir of the Malfoy line."

"The Peverell name has died out for the most part, but there are two lines descended from them. I believe today they are known as the Gaunts and Potters." Harry answered, catching a smirk Tom was hiding.

A boy with combed brown hair, brown eyes, and a bigger body build, spoke next. "I'm Anton Avery. Which line are you descended from? Gaunts?"

Harry merely smiled.

The others seemed to accept that as an answer, and kept on introducing themselves.

Black hair and a wild look to them. "Ian Lestrange." That would explain the wild look.

"Marcus Nott."

"Nickolas Mulciber."

Philip Rosier."

Harry didn't bother remembering them. He would learn over time if they were important or not.

"Orion Black."

Harry paused at that name. He couldn't help but to take interest in Sirius' dad, and look over to see what he looked like. Wavy black hair. Silver eyes. They were definitely related.

As the Master of Death, Harry can talk to people who have died whenever he wants. Or, he could go into a dimension where they hadn't died, but either way, they wouldn't really understand. He wasn't their godchild. He was centuries and millennia years old, and Harry has met many different versions of Sirius. The only one who would understand is Tom.

Harry glanced over to Tom. His soulmate subtly glanced over to Harry as well, and their eyes met. Tom knew exactly what Harry was thinking about, and was probably thinking similar things.

Harry fell back into his acting. "It's nice to meet you all. It was very kind of your friend to invite me into your group."

The Death Eater ducklings all shared a quick glance at the word 'friend'.

The first years were starting to line up now, but Avery quickly asked a question. "So, are you a mudblood?"

Harry smiled innocently. "If you use that word in my presence I will not hesitate to hex you."

Avery glanced at Tom as if to ask 'dude, are you gonna let this new kid talk down to me?' And Tom didn't even pretend to care.

"So you're a mudblood then." Lestrange confirmed, blatantly ignoring Harry's threat.

"I'm a wizard."

"Right, but what's your blood status?" Malfoy prompted.

Tom was hiding a smile by drinking some pumpkin juice. He was obviously enjoying the show Harry was putting on. They shared a look and Harry had to construct a mask to keep himself from smiling.

"Magic." He looked Malfoy dead in the eye. "Powerful magic."

Tom couldn't hold back his laugh. It was quiet, but that was still enough for all of the Slytherin table, most of the Ravenclaw, and one Albus Dumbledore to look over in shock. From the tables' reaction, most of the first years were trying to figure out what was going on.

Harry forgot Tom had been more stuck-up than Percy was when he was a student.

He was gonna have so much fun. Harry knew exactly how to make Tom laugh.

"Didn't you all just say Peverell was a wizarding name? Where in the world did you come up with Muggleborn?" Tom asked his group. They all had the decency to look embarrassed.

The Sorting was now starting, but Tom leaned over to Harry inconspicuously. "That was perfectly executed."

And the Sorting began.

. . . . .

As a prefect, it was Tom's job to lead the baby Slytherins to the dorm, so Harry didn't get to see much of him until later that night.

It was already pretty late, so only Tom and a couple of his Death Eater ducklings were still up. There were some girls gossiping at a table in the corner. They were all hanging out in the Common Room, scattered on different chairs or couches. Harry found the view of the lake to be quite calming, even with its eerie glow at night. To be honest, it was super cool.

Tom was obviously the leader of the group, sitting on a lounge chair close to the fireplace, reading a thick book. Harry wasn't sure how it was obvious he was the leader, but it was. Perhaps it was the positioning of the chair? Maybe because he's the only one sitting alone? Harry had no clue, really. It was just one of those life mysteries. Either way he looked like the essence of power, still graceful in anything he did after all these years.

Once Harry entered the Common Room, all of the conversations stopped. They had obviously been wanting to talk to him in private, and now was their perfect chance.

Harry pretended not to notice their stares and curled up on the end of an empty couch with his own book. It was a fantasy novel from the future.

"Peverell." Malfoy spoke.

Harry responded with a nonchalant 'hm' without looking up. The couch was very comfy. He could feel himself sinking into it.

 _"Peverell."_ Malfoy tried again.

Harry flipped a page.

"Harry." Tom's voice called from his own seat half across the room.

He looked at his soulmate. "Yeah, Tom?"

Harry wanted to laugh when he heard a few sputters of indignation at his casual attitude of saying Tom's name. The girls were listening with an open ear, but hadn't stopped their conversation. Harry didn't even use his nickname!

"Abraxas wants to tell you something."

"And I hummed in response."

"Abraxas wants your full attention or he feels he's being ignored." Tom replied.

Harry looked towards the blond just in time for him to see his eyes gleam with something similar to aghast betrayal. It was gone the next second. Oh, Harry was going to enjoy this. Tom's idea to come here was great!

"Well, what do you want?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

Malfoy regained his posture quickly. Befitting of a Malfoy. "You must be aware there is a.. Social standing.. In the Slytherin House."

Malfoy was making this way too easy. The others were all staying out of the conversation, having quietly gone back to whatever they were doing. Harry was sure they were listening in closely. "Oh?"

"Yes. Right now, the current king of the Slytherin House is my-.. Tom."

"Your Tom?" Harry repeated.

"No, that was-" Abraxas sighed, running his hand through his hair in a small fit of stress. "That was a slip of tongue."

"So, how do you get a higher social standing?" He drawled on, looking bored.

"It would depend on your.. Blood status, as you deemed to tell us what it is earlier." Malfoy answered.

Harry feigned shock, looking as sarcastic as possible. "Really?! I had no clue. Blood status! Thank you for enlightening me of this, oh gracious lord of mine."

All the eyes in the room (minus the girls) subtly glanced towards Tom. Not subtle enough for Harry, though. He continued. "So what's Tom's blood status, then? Purest of the purebloods? Maybe even the descendant of Salazar Slytherin himself?"

Malfoy gritted his teeth, trying to keep his patience in check. "You would do well to respect your betters. Tom does not show mercy to those who do not know their place."

"Really, Tom?" Harry glanced towards his soulmate. "Do you hurt small first years in your free time? No mercy? Duel to the death?"

"Harry, I am a prefect." Tom answered easily, avoiding the question completely. Not that he does, but still.

"So what's your blood status then? If you've got all these purebloods wrapped around your finger, you must be pretty high up there." Harry prodded.

The Death Eater ducklings weren't talking at this point because they were busy having heart attacks. Even Malfoy looked a bit pale. The two girls were looking over in interest and amusement. _(This new kid really is an idiot!)_ Orion was trying to shoot Harry warning glances, telling him to _back down or you'll regret it. Tom is dangerous._ So Sirius' dad isn't all bad if he's worried for a new student.

"I'm a half-blood, actually. But until I said it a moment ago, they all thought I was a muggleborn." Tom flipped a page. He hadn't even looked up from his book, but Harry could tell he wasn't even reading it. This was way too interesting of a conversation to pass up for a book he'd already read.

Harry took a sharp breath in. "Oh, _yikes._ " He turned towards Malfoy. "Looks like Tom is the exception towards the House social standing."

"Wha- But- How-" Abraxas tried to get even half a sentence out. Malfoy masks were fragile if you pushed them right. Harry learned that the fun way.

Harry turned back towards his soulmate. "So, how would I become king of Slytherin then?"

"You would have to kill me." Tom replied, flipping another page.

He easily got the hidden meaning in his sentence. After the Battle of Hogwarts, Tom had to wait a century until Harry died. After all, Harry was the Master of Death. Tom didn't have half the powers Harry did, but he did have a centuries-old magical core and centuries worth of magical knowledge—a deadly combination.

Before they got along, right after Harry 'died' the first time, he could have completely ruined Tom's life. Defeating somebody in a wizard's duel (apparently that's what their duel counted for) translated to 'conquering' in magical terms, apparently. And to conquer means to rule over. Harry could make Tom do whatever he wanted, and Tom wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. The former-Dark Lord could have been his personal slave for eternity, if Harry chose to do so.

Harry was already king.

(Luckily, both of them were very past worrying about this point, and were very much the perfect soulmates for each other. They even found out Tom _likes_ being ordered around-)

"Eh, I don't care for the title anyways. You can keep it." Harry shrugged.

"How gracious of you."

. . . . .

The Death Eater ducklings were apparently too shocked to talk, so Harry decided he was going to bed. They had class the next day, despite students just having arrived the night before. Couldn't they give everybody a day off? Like, seriously, was that too hard?

The Master of Death felt his roommates enter their room not long later. With Harry's curtain pulled, they must have thought he was asleep, because the ducklings didn't even put up a Silencing Charm. (Not that Harry wouldn't have taken it down anyways.)

"My Lord, what do we do about Peverell? He can't get away with disrespecting you like that!" Avery—was that Avery's voice? Must be—whisper-yelled.

He heard his soulmates voice, and followed it while Tom walked across the room. "Don't worry. Harry will learn his place soon. In fact, I have a task for Orion."

"What is it, My Lord?"

"I wish you to befriend Harry and learn his secrets. There's something not right about him. He knows too much about how the Slytherin House works."

"It will be done." So Orion was who Tom was pairing him up with. Oh, this was going to be a blast! Harry grinned.

Malfoy spoke, sounding much more composed than he did a few moments ago. "My Lord."

"Yes, Abraxas?"

"I would like to do some research on his past. There hasn't been a Peverell in ages, and I want to do more research on the Gaunts."

Tom smirked for a different reason than the ducklings thought. Harry actually got them to believe he was a descendant of the Gaunts! What a surprise Malfoy is going to have, that it's actually _Tom._ "I expect progress by Christmas break."

"Consider it done."


	2. Chapter 2: Cat Got Your Tongue

**Guys look! The new chapter is up! And it's only been a week! You'll probably never see this happen again!**

 **So thanks everybody for all the support and comments; they were super duper fun to read!**

 **For anybody wondering, the book Harry is reading is called 'Carry On' by Rainbow Rowell.**

 **Well, I hope you enjoy this super long chapter :D It took forever to write tbh.**

* * *

Harry was one of the first ones awake, and thus, decided to go to breakfast a bit early. Not soon after he sat down, with the full intention to read his book (the same one from last night), Tom sat down right next to him. They were the only two of his group at the table, and thus, free to converse.

"It escaped my mind we wouldn't be able to share a bed anymore when I thought of the idea, Love." Tom started scooping food on his plate.

"There's always the Room of Requirements. We can stay there sometimes, if your ducklings know how to keep a secret." Harry put his book down and instead munched on some eggs.

"They'll keep a secret if they want to live. You were awake last night, yes?"

"Yeah." Harry looked at Tom's plate. "What's with all the food? I haven't seen you eat that much since that time you forgot to eat for four days. You know, when we discovered that super old library."

"This body has just come back from the orphanage and I'm _starving_." Tom replied.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." Harry mused.

"So what dark secret are you going to tell Orion first?"

Harry smirked. "Parseltongue. It'll be an accident. Do they know you have it?"

"No," Tom answered. "But I can let it slip, I'm sure."

"Let what slip?" Orion appeared out of nowhere, taking a seat on the other side of Harry. His hair was was almost down to his shoulders, and it had a smooth, glossy look that reminded Harry distinctly of Sirius. "Oh, I'm Orion, by the way. I know I introduced myself yesterday, but there were like five other people there, so." He was being much more open than he was yesterday.

"It's nice to meet you, Orion. You can call me Harry." He re-introduced himself to the Black heir. "Tom and I were just discussing what would happen if I got lost in this giant castle."

"As I was saying, I'm sure the teachers would let it slip for the first week or so. Honestly, they let the first years come half an hour late sometimes." Tom agreed.

Orion tilted his head. "What do you have first?"

Harry dug his schedule out of his robes. "Oh, uh, here."

He looked it over, then took out his own schedule. Suddenly, he grinned. "Looks like we have the same schedule!"

"Really?" Harry glanced over to the sheets, then smiled. "That's great. You wouldn't mind showing me around, would you?"

"Not at all!" Orion happily replied. He turned to Tom. "Tom, what does your schedule look like?"

Tom dug his schedule out of his robes as well, setting it on the table, then immediately going back to his food. If Orion thought it was strange Tom was so focused on food, he didn't show it.

"We all have the same schedule! But Tom, I thought you were taking extra classes?" Orion asked.

"I wanted to have more time to focus on.. _Other_ things."

Orion got the underlying message. It was completely wrong, but Orion didn't know any better. "Looks like we all have Potions first. Class doesn't start for another 45 minutes, though."

"I can't wait." Harry replied.

Soon enough, the other ducklings all showed up. Harry had gone back to reading his book from the night before, and was discreetly leaning on Tom.

Once they all sat down, Avery gave a perturbed look to Harry's book. "That's the same book you had last night, but I've never seen it in the library here before."

"You wouldn't have."

"And why is that? My family has a fairly large library, and I've read most all of the books in it, but I don't recognize your book either." Malfoy inputted.

Harry flipped a page, never looking up from his novel. "Well, it's a muggle fantasy book."

Nott squinted. "You read muggle books? I didn't know they could write."

Harry frowned. "Muggles are literally just humans without magic. They made the language; of course they can write!"

Tom leaned over, glancing at Harry's book. "Is that the one about the dragon kid and the vampire?"

"I just- I love them so much, Tom. They deserve happiness." Harry pretended to cry.

Avery cut in again. "Sooo, what's the book about?"

Harry raised an eyebrow. "You.. want to know about a muggle book?"

"Sure, why not? Tom seems to have read it."

"It's.. a love story.. About a kid hailed as a hero.. And a vampire.." Harry started hesitantly.

Apparently that wasn't enough information for them. ".. And?"

"So Simon—the hero—and Baz—the vampire—have to team up and stop this evil wizard from destroying magic forever, and accidentally find out they're gay for each other along the way."

"You're reading.. A story.. About a gay magical couple?" Malfoy asked, dumbfounded.

"Absolutely."

(While the ducklings all shied away from Harry and his story, they did not insult it. Most likely because of Tom. In fact, they never really mentioned it again, despite it being at the front of their thoughts for a good while.)

. . . . .

Potions was fun. Slughorn paired Tom and Harry together since Tom was the top student and Harry was new. The professor was very curious to learn about Harry since the Peverell line was believed to be almost extinct, but Harry was able to redirect the class into actually making a potion.

And make a potion they did. The two soulmates were the perfect pair.. To completely screw with people. That was what they came here to do, anyways.

"Now, boys, let's see how your Non-Drowsy potion is! I have high expectations of both of you!" Slughorn swiftly walked towards their desk.

"I'm glad you think so highly of me, Professor." Tom had a smile on his face, but it wasn't because of Slughorn.

Their potion was a pure sea-blue. Not even the cleanest ocean or lake could measure up to such a bold color, a big difference from the other potions in the room, with their murky blue-green.

Slughorn examined their potion, twirling it in the vial a bit. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Oh my."

The other students were actively looking over now. Not much could actually catch Slughorn by surprise.

"What is it?"

"What's happening?"

The Professor held the vial up to his eye, examining the potion as close as he could. _"Oh my!_ Tom, you continue to surprise me! And you, Hadrian, are going to be a wonderful potions-maker one day!"

Orion was looking at them both with an awed expression. When he saw Harry's eyes at looking at him, he grinned and did a thumbs-up.

Harry pretended to look confused. "Professor? Is everything okay?"

"This is the _best_ looking Non-Drowsy potion I've _ever seen!"_ Slughorn joyfully announced. He turned back to the duo. "How did you do it? I've never seen this potion with such a clear color before! The more pure and bold it is, the better the potion! How did you get such a color?!"

Harry shrugged, looking unsure. "I.. I don't know. We just followed the directions.."

"Harry is speaking the truth." Tom agreed. "We were only following your masterful instructions."

That was a lie. Harry slipped in some honey he pulled from his bag. Tom stirred it three times more clockwise, and four times less counter-clockwise. They both knew all the tips and tricks to make potions—well, _every_ spell—work as best as they possibly can. The soulmates had spent the first couple thousand years finding magic and learning it all from different dimensions, hidden temples, or even from the future. (Not that there was one, when you live forever and can move through time at will.)

There was still so much more to learn, but they had eternity, so it was okay.

"Well, if you keep making potions like these, I'm sure you'll be a Potions Master before you turn 18!"

"Oh, uh, thank you." Harry avoided eye contact, pretending to be embarrassed.

At that moment, another student spilled their brew over their desk. It immediately turned a sour green color and orange smoke started rising, and Slughorn frantically rushed over to help them. "Back away! Back away!"

And that was the end of that.

. . . . .

Transfiguration was interesting, if nothing else. Tom and Harry were paired up again (much to Malfoy's displeasure—and now to Orion's too), and Dumbledore kept sending Harry knowing glances. He also kept sending Tom suspicious glances, like he knew Tom did something.

"I'd ask why he keeps glaring at you, but I already know the answer." Harry murmured while round stones were being passed out to each student, via magic.

"You gave him a letter telling him that I grew up to be the darkest lord since his boyfriend." Tom replied.

"Speaking of that, Tomcat," Tom turned his attention towards his soulmate, "our good buddy Gellert's wand suddenly stopped working. I'm curious to find out what exactly he'll do now, without the Elder Wand."

"You took it back?"

"Nah. He still has it, but it won't work."

Two small stones landed on their desk. They raised their wand, and both stones turned into full-sized albino peacocks simultaneously, who proceed to scramble off the desk and terrorize the rest of the room at the same time.

The soulmates went back to their conversation while the peacocks peck Malfoy (he probably still smelled like his own albino peacocks back home; it had only been a day) and Dumbledore tried, and failed, to enchant them back into stones. It would wear off after ten minutes, but nobody in the room would be able to turn them back before then.

"You stole my idea." Harry pouted.

"Love, we are soulmates. We get all our best ideas from each other." Tom was acting aloof as ever while the rest of the room was in complete chaos.

"What better way to start the year than to terrorize our professors."

"You know he's going to question you about this."

"You think my talk is going to be half as bad as yours? You better hope we get it at the same time, or he might actually try to end you himself, Tomcat."

Tom smirked. "He wouldn't do anything that would ruin his reputation."

"This is Discreet McGee we're talking about." Harry pointed out.

Tom's eyes widened. "Dang, you're right. He'll probably find some back-hand way to make my life worse with nobody the wiser."

"He can certainly try. I won't let him." Harry slyly smirked. "You're mine, after all. Only I can make your life worse."

Tom returned the grin. "Of course, _~Master~_ "

Harry turned back towards the front of the classroom, like he was waiting for the still-frantic Dumbledore to continue the lesson. "I keep almost calling you Tomcat in front of our classmates."

"I wouldn't mind if you did. We're here to mess with the ducklings after all." Tom turned towards the front, looking ready for the lesson as well.

"Are you going to let anybody else call you that?" Harry asked with a cold tone.

Tom's voice became softer and warmer; he knew exactly how to deal with possessive Harry. "Only you, Love. You're my wonderful soulmate and master after all, and I love you."

"I love you too," Harry replied. "I think I'll wait with the nickname until a better time. Do you think Dumbledore would look this conversation over in his Pensieve?"

"He might not think of it."

"If you were this carefree your first life here, you would've been dead by 20."

"By 15 at the latest."

"Chamber?" Harry questioned. "Myrtle didn't die till you were 16 though."

"Terrorizing students was fun enough to get on Dumbledore's bad side." Tom replied. "What do you think he'll try to do this time?"

Harry shrugged. "Take away your wand in the summer? Give me opportunities to kill you?"

"I, for one, hope it's something overly dramatic and unnecessarily complex. If he tries to butt into your 'task' I can make him squirm." Tom smiled upon the thought.

"Tomcat." Harry turned his head towards his soulmate, and Tom met his eyes. "What if when girls try to ask you out—you know they will, don't give me that look—, you tell them you already have a crush on somebody."

Tom raised a single eyebrow. "And what will you hope to accomplish with that, Love?"

"Have Dumbledore realize it's me you like."

The peacocks turned back into rocks, and the classroom panic slowly died out. Malfoy's robes were full of feathers and half ripped apart, and he was scowling in disgust.

Tom smirked. "Can do, Love."

(Dumbledore never called them up for a talk, probably because he was still respecting Harry's wishes and staying out of his business. Albus _had_ always seen Tom as a serious threat, even more so than getting to see Tom in trouble for once in his life.)

. . . . .

"Wanna make a bet?"

Tom raised a wary eyebrow. The duo were sitting in each other's laps, hidden in the Room of Requirement, later that night after classes. "What kind of bet?"

Harry was messing with his soulmate's hair, twirling it around his finger. Tom was leaning into his hand, something he did by habit. "When all of our plans come together and Dumbledore takes me up to his office to check on the progress—you know he will—, I'm gonna ask if he thinks it's possible to spare you and convert you to the light or whatever. What do you think he'll say?"

"I'm going to go with he'll think I'm redeemable. He's always had this weird belief with 'nobody's completely dark' and 'the power of love' and that crap," Tom bet.

Harry grinned, messing up Tom's hair even more. His soulmate had his arms wrapped around Harry's waist, head buried in his chest. "I'm going with he'll say it's impossible and he'll ask me to continue on my path to kill you. Bonus points if he brings up my friends I mentioned that died."

"Please do not root for my death."

"Oh, I'm rooting for your death alright."

"Harry, the love of my life, why do you do this."

"You know you like it, Tomcat. What's the prize?"

"Winner gets to choose what we do with Grindelwald."

"Deal."

. . . . .

"Harry, hey!" Orion met him at the breakfast table. The only other person there was Tom, since they both rarely needed sleep, and tended to get up early when they did. He sits down on the other side of Harry and murmurs quieter, "Where were you last night? You and Tom were both missing."

"Oh, sorry. Tom showed me the Room of Requirements and let me tell you, those were some _comfy_ beds." Harry grinned, then backtracked. "No, we did not do anything scandalous, like you're probably thinking."

"The thought didn't cross my mind." The boy had a blush across his face.

"I'm sure." Harry deadpanned.

The blush spread even more, and Tom cracked a smile.

The other Death Eater ducklings appeared soon, and the day went on.

. . . . .

Harry had grown to genuinely like Orion as a friend over a few weeks, and was almost regretting how much he planned to mess with Sirius' dad.

Almost. He was still totally doing it.

They often paired up for any projects Tom didn't get to Harry first in. While Orion wasn't the smartest kid out there, he genuinely tried his best and worked hard, and rarely complained about having to do homework. It probably helped that Harry was always willing to help Orion with it, since the Black heir learned very fast that his new friend basically had the entire library (and more!) memorized.

"Harryyyyyyy, how are you so smaaaarrrrrt?" Orion groaned, sprawled over the table, and thus, his homework.

Harry shrugged, flipping a page in a random book. This time it was Shakespeare. "I dunno. I guess I just read a lot."

"I never see you doing your homework, but you always turn it in on time. Just when exactly do you do yours?!"

"I don't sleep very much." While that was the truth, Harry was literally just able to summon a perfectly written essay from out of nowhere, and so was Tom. Even if he did have to do it, he knew a bunch of quick-writing spells and could quote everything he's ever learned from memory. (Photographic memory is great sometimes, not great at others.)

"That doesn't explain anything! You're practically as smart as Tom, and Tom is like, the smartest guy I know!" He whined.

"Speaking of Tom," Harry glanced up from his book. "What exactly is your relationship with him? I know he likes to pair up with me on projects, for Merlin-knows-why, but I don't actually know that much about him."

Orion glanced up from his homework with a guarded look in his eyes. "Tom is.. Our leader. He has amazing goals and strong views on many things, and we wanted to help him reach those goals. Last year, I thought we were kinda drifting from his original goal, and this year, he seems much more focused on you instead."

"On me?"

"Yeah, it's weird." Orion tapped his pencil on his desk mindlessly. "Tom has never been really social. He acts nice, but.. I don't think he truly _likes anyone._ And then you came along, and he shows you things, pairs up with you, and actually seeks you out at times. It's like.. He actually likes you."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "Really? You think he likes me?"

"I think he does. And that's why I also think you should be careful."

"What? Why?" Harry asked (fake) nervously.

"Tom is charming, yes, but he's also.. Dangerous. He's cunning, manipulative, possessive, and has no problems using his looks and smarts to his advantage." Orion stared at his homework with a troubled stare. "I don't want him to hurt you."

Harry didn't have to fake a shock looked. He was surprised that Orion was this open about Tom to him, even though they'd only been friends for a couple weeks. Perhaps Orion wasn't as loyal as Tom once thought, or maybe Tom enforced his loyalty last time through.. Excessive measures.. When Orion started drifting.

After a moment, he cocked his head to the side. "And what would Tom do to you if he realized you told me all this?"

Orion looked scared, but only because he was close enough to Harry to drop his Slytherin mask around him. They were alone in the library, hidden in one of the tables in the back of the room. "Please don't tell Tom I said this to you! I just- I don't want him to hurt you, because I like you and care about you and-"

"Relax, Orion. I'm not telling Tom." Harry reassured him. "Thank you for trying to warn me, but I'll be fine. I swear if it looks like things are going south then I'll get out of the situation before it's too late, but I know what I'm doing."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You told me about Tom, so in return, I'll tell you something about me." Harry paused, shutting his book and stuffing it in his enchanted bag. "I have a lot of secrets. Perhaps, if you stick around, you'll learn some. And if I were to tell you others, you wouldn't believe me in the slightest."

"I'd believe you." Orion stated, determined.

"What if I told you I'm thousands of years old and Tom is my personal slave?" Harry tried.

"I would think you're trying to mess with me." Orion deadpanned.

Harry grinned and shrugged, not agreeing or disagreeing with his friend. "I do trust you enough to tell you I already know about Riddle. I know what he grows up to be, and I know what goals he supports and doesn't. And I know where they'll lead him, if he continues on the same path."

Orion squinted, leaning closer to Harry. " _How_ , exactly, do you know that?"

Harry smiled evasively. "Suppose you'll have to figure that out."

"Oh, I will. Just you wait."

"I'll be waiting."

"… Harry," Orion paused for a moment, looking hesitant. "Thank you. For trusting me... And.. not telling Tom."

. . . . .

"Hey Tomcat, you'll never believe what just happened! Orion tried to warn me about you! He told me that you're dangerous and willing to manipulate people to get what you want, and that, for some reason, you seem to like me." Harry sprawled over his soulmate like a cat.

"I do like you," he answered automatically, then actually thought about what Harry said. "I'm not surprised. He's very emotional, once you get to know him. Last time, he didn't like how dark my group was getting and tried to break out of it." Tom replied, raising his book a little higher to make room for Harry. "I had to.. reinforce my rule."

"I guessed so." Harry stretched, then messed with Tom's shirt. "I'm going to do the Parseltongue thing soon. I'll pretend I don't know that it's labeled as dark."

"You have fun with that."

"Oh, you're falling down with me."

"That wasn't hard to guess."

"I'm glad you're so accepting of my crazy ideas."

"Love, we are both insane. I literally split my soul seven times. And you.." Tom gestured.

".. Yeah?" Harry prompted.

"You're you. And you're insane," Tom finished.

Harry feigned hurt. "I've never been this insulted in my life!"

"Good thing you're dead."

Harry gained a dangerous smirk, making Tom quirk an eyebrow. "You're gonna have to make it up to me, insulting me like that."

"Oh?"

"You better not move without my permission." Harry ordered, then bit down on Tom's collarbone.

His soulmate bit back a small moan that tried to escape, and because Harry couldn't have that, he kissed Tom, winning the battle for dominance immediately.

. . . . .

A couple days later, Harry finally decided to enact part of his plan. At breakfast, he resumed his usual spot next to Tom and waited for all of the other ducklings to arrive.

The conversation was going in an okay direction, when Harry decided to randomly change the subject.

"Hey guys, I was wondering.. I have this ability to talk to snakes and.. I think it's called Parseltongue?" Harry pondered bluntly, ignoring their slowly-increasing shocked faces as they realized what he said. "I was wondering if anybody else has the ability, since I couldn't find much in the library."

"You.." Abraxas started, "You can talk to snakes?"

"… Yes? Is that a bad thing?" Harry asked nervously.

Tom decided to hop into the conversation. "It's an extremely rare ability that few people have ever possessed. Salazar Slytherin is the most prominent example, which is where the snake symbol comes from. Most people descended from him have it as well, though, sadly, that family has all but died out."

"You sure know have a lot of information on this, Tom." Avery mused, hesitant and cautious.

"Yes, well, I am a Parseltongue myself." He stated, as if it were another everyday fact.

" _WHAT."_ Malfoy really needs to get a grip on his Pureblood mask. It keeps slipping off, like in this instance, where he made all of the Slytherin table, half the Ravenclaw, and one (1) Albus Dumbledore to glance over.

Abraxas cleared his throat, clearly embarrassed. When nothing happened after a few moments, the tables all forgot about the event ever happening. (Dumbledore was still watching them, but when wasn't he?)

Nott decided to be the one to speak up. "How do we know you aren't lying? If it's a Slytherin ability, how do you have it?"

"I'm a Slytherin, if that's what you mean." Harry replied.

"We don't believe you! There's no way you know Parseltongue!" Lestrange blurted out.

Tom stifled a smile. "Perhaps he meant they would like a demonstration."

Harry didn't bother hiding his grin. _"~Hiss hiss motherfluffers.~"_

His soulmate tried to hide his grin, but was mostly unsuccessful. "You have this uncanny ability to think of the worst possible things to say."

 _"~Do do do do do do baby shark!~"_

"Harry, if you get that song stuck in my head, I will not hesitate in making you regret it." Tom stated plainly.

" _You_ were the one to introduce me to the song. You get to suffer as much as I do." Harry replied, ignoring the confused and awestruck faces around him. (He was pretty sure Dumbledore was listening on to their conversation as well-)

"So-" Avery tried to gain hold on the conversation again, "how close of friends.. are you? Tom never shows _us_ anything."

Orion sent a wary look towards Harry.

Instead of being offended like the old Tom would have been, his soulmate simply brushes off the comment and turns to Harry, pretending as if he hadn't spoke the language of the snake a moment ago. "That reminds me, my.. friends, and I get together every couple weeks for a meeting, of sorts. To check on grades, make sure everybody's doing okay, learn some new spells, you know. Would you care to join us tonight?"

Harry pretends to ponder it for a moment. "Hm… Sure. Maybe I could teach you guys some new things. I know a lot of tricks and secrets!"

"I would like to learn, if you are willing to show me." Tom replies smoothly, as if the Slytherin King didn't just ask the new kid for help.

And classes go on like usual, once the ducklings learn how to close their mouths again.

. . . . .

"Soooo," Harry asked, nervously looking around the room. "What exactly are we doing?"

The Death Eater ducklings (and Tom) were sitting at a large table, with Tom obviously as the leader. The rest of the room had books, extra space, and an overall eerie mood. This must've been how the meeting room looked.

Harry was the only one still standing, left awkwardly at the opposite end of the table from Tom. All of the chairs were filled with the same people they sat with at lunch, so while it wasn't that many people, it would easily be nerve wracking to a normal human, especially since they were all staring at him.

Good thing Harry was anything but normal. (Probably not human, either, to be honest.)

"Welcome, Harry, to the ba- Knights of Walpurgis." Tom smiled charmingly, but it was obviously fake to his soulmate.

"You have really tacky taste in rooms." Harry pointed out.

All of the ducklings went from staring to glaring at him, the exception being Orion, who looked like he was going to be sick. (The poor kid probably thought Harry was going to get tortured.)

Tom simply replied. "You can deal." _'I have to, as well.'_ was left unsaid.

"Fair enough. Continue."

"We are a group dedicated to the Dark Arts, something banned from Hogwarts for being too 'dangerous'. In this room, we are free to practice the Dark Arts as much as we want, without fear of being caught or retaliation. All magic is just that—Magic! There is no good or bad magic, just the intention behind it." Tom tried to lull him to the Dark Side (they have cookies!) with his graceful charm and eloquent way of speaking. "So, Harry, will you swear your loyalty to me, and join my group? Join the Knights of Walpurgis?"

"You don't have some sort of test I need to pass? Or am I special because everyone seems to think you like me?" Harry asked bluntly.

Really, the ducklings should learn that Harry is strange and just accept that as a fact. But, instead, they all still get surprised and shocked at everything Harry does that doesn't fit into their usual loop.

That _was_ what the duo were here for though, so maybe they should keep being startled instead. Cause their reactions are _GREAT._

Orion was looking positively ill at that point. Harry sent a discreet spell his way, and he slowly started to look less pale and maybe able to stand again. The others weren't faring much better, but Harry didn't really care about them at all. Actually, that was a lie. Most were doing exceedingly well. They get to watch the new kid who talked back to their lord finally get what was coming to him!

One of those people, Mulciber (whom Harry has never talked to really) didn't look sick at all. Instead, he looked livid. So did Lestrange and Rosier, but Mulciber was the one who spoke up first. "How dare you disrespect our lord like that! He has given you-"

"Sit down." Tom ordered.

Mulciber ignored him. (how ironic) "- his valuable time and shown you wonderful secrets and you disrespect my lord like this-"

When Mulciber was cut off this time, he did stop. Most because Tom was Crucio-ing him. Now he was screaming in agony.

Harry gasped. "The Cruciatus Curse!"

"If you cannot handle even the Cruciatus Curse, you will not last long in our group-" Malfoy started.

Like soulmate, like soulmate, Harry cut Malfoy off too. "But that spell is so bland and boring! You know so many better ones!"

Tom finally stopped the spell, watching Mulciber twitch on the ground. His screaming had died out to small whimpers. Tom turned towards Harry with a neutral face. "Would you like to demonstrate one, then?"

"Nah, I'm good. How about the lightning one you like?" Harry suggested.

"That would kill a normal person." Tom inquired.

"Oh, right." Harry grinned. "Well, yeah, I'll join your cult. Sounds like fun!"

Tom nodded, then turned back to Mulciber, still breathing heavily on the floor. "Next time you want to talk about how people should respect me, you should do it yourself first. Do not let it happen again, or I will not be as lenient." He turned towards the rest of the group. "As Harry has said, I do know many more creative spells, and I will not hesitate using them if I feel the need to. Do _not_ disobey me."

There was a chorus of "Yes, my lord," from everybody except Harry, who just smiled.

. . . . .

"Dude, I'm convinced. Tom is _literally_ in love with you or something." Orion walked beside Harry in disbelief. They were walking back to the dorms the next day at a leisurely pace, since they had nowhere in particular to be.

"Why do you think that?" Harry asked curiously.

Orion waved his hands around dramatically. (Well, Sirius had to get it from _somewhere._ ) "Because you're not half dead on the ground! He's cursed people for less. A lot less. And nobody can just brush him off like you did. Nobody tells him no, especially not in our group. And he just let you slide out of the test? He makes everybody cast one of the unforgivables to get in, but for you, he just- He just let you say "nah, I'm good" and that was it! Did you even do a binding contract to keep it secret?!"

"I'm very likable. It's not a surprise Tom can't resist my charm." Harry shrugged and grinned.

Just then, Tom walked up beside them, muttering, "What charm?" under his breath, then kept walking ahead, like he'd never said a word (or two).

"How rude!" Harry yelled after him. Tom only flashed him a sly grin and kept walking.

Once Riddle was out of sight, Orion turned to harry, bewildered. "What was that about? Are you like, good friends? When did this happen? Is that what's going on?"

"I have no clue what you're talking about. Sometimes we pair up on projects, and we might hang out every once in a while, and I've joined his cult, but that's about it." Harry responded.

"Tom is like, forbidden territory. Every year he gets a pile of Valentines chocolate taller than me, and he doesn't even eat any of it! All of the girls treat him like he's royalty, and his fake charm does nothing against that. He's the perfect student, gets good grades, is polite. Who _doesn't_ want him?"

"Well, for the Valentines chocolate, you don't think that most of them have love potions in them?" Harry mused.

Orion paused. "I never really thought of that.. But, anyways, he's so high up there and perfect that nobody dares get on his bad side. The only people who ask him out are brave fools who think they have something to prove, then go crying when he politely declines them. I've seen it happen over and over."

"You don't think he might already like somebody?" Harry asked, purely for his own curiosity at Orion's opinion.

Orion looked at Harry as if he just grew two heads. "You think Tom _likes_ someone- If he liked anybody, it'd have to be you."

"Wow," Harry deadpanned, "I feel so special right now. The elusive Tom Riddle likes me."

"That's the point! He doesn't like _anyone._ " Orion waved his hands around again, always one for dramatics.

"People can always change. I've seen a pretty big example for myself." Harry pointed out.

Orion squinted at his friend. "What kind of example?"

"There was a deranged killer back where I came from. Killed tons of people 'cause he was insane. Anyways, he tried to kill me over like, seven times, before I eventually killed him. And then we met in the afterlife and sorted out our differences, and now we're best friends."

"Yeah, no." Orion stated. "I don't know where you get all of these ideas from, but you should write a book."

"There's already one being written. The author is just really slow."

Orion looked at Harry, then sighed. "Green Machine." The dorm room opened, and both of them stepped through it. "I'm going to go to bed. It's a weekend tomorrow, but I don't care. I'm tired."

"Okay! Goodnight!" Harry waved him off as he ascended the stairs.

There were a few others still in the dorm room, especially since it was a weekend. Tom had assumed his usual spot by the fireplace and was reading a random book in the library.

' _Forbidden territory, eh? More like my territory.'_ Harry thought randomly.

. . . . .

A few weeks later, Harry and Orion sat on the ground outside, enjoying the warm fall weather while it was still there.

"Gosh, I love Autumn. The leaves are so pretty and you can pile them up and jump in them. Plus all the bugs DIE. I'm so glad we have spells to get rid of bug bites. Those are the literal worst." Harry whined.

"You grew up with two magical parents, didn't you?" Orion turned his head towards Harry.

"Nah, my parents were murdered when I was a baby." Harry replied.

"Is this another one of your tall tales?"

"Why would I lie about my parents dying? I mean, I lied about it to Dippet, so _really_ don't tell him, but yeah." Harry remembered his made-up story he gave to Dippet. Dumbledore knew he was from the future. "No, I lived with my uncle and aunt. They.. were not the kind of people you would like. They hated magic with a passion, because it wasn't 'normal'. The first time I did accidental magic, I got beaten black and blue and locked in a cabinet for a week."

Orion looked horrified. "Muggles are monsters-"

Harry held up a hand. "I'm gonna stop you right there. My aunt and uncle are _terrible people_ , but not all muggles are like them. Muggles are just like us. Human. The only difference is they don't have magic, so they find other ways to do things."

"Really?" Orion looked mildly surprised. "I've heard that muggles look really weird and have an obsession with violence. And that some of them grow horns depending on how much violence they commit."

"Nope. They're just human. Right now, though, they're in the middle of a really big war. Like we are with Grindelwald." Harry thought back to all the destruction that World War II caused. Of course, he's seen a lot worse, but Orion doesn't need to know that.

"That's.. Weird to think about. All my life, I've been told that they're nothing like us."

"They're everything like us. They're not better, nor worse. They're just human, as we all are."

Orion was silent for a moment, and a cool breeze passed over them. The leaves on the trees shook, and some of them fell off into the lake. ".. How did your parents die? I- I'm sorry. That was really stupid question, you don't have to answer-"

"It's fine." Harry reassured him. "They were in the middle of their own war. It was quite similar to this one, actually, and they were directly in the middle of it. There was a prophecy, you see, and the bad guy was obsessed with it. So, because my parents were part of the prophecy, he killed them when I was a baby, on Halloween night."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." _Well, technically, you were a Death Eater, buuuut..._ "It happened a long time ago, and I'm well over it."

"Well, speaking of Halloween," Orion was obviously trying to change the subject, and Harry let it happen. "Are you ready to face your boggart?"

* * *

 **Hoorah! You got to the end! Actually, I have a question. Would anybody be interested in me writing smut for this? It would be my first time writing it, but I don't think I'd do too badly. And it wouldn't be in this chapter or the next chapter or whatever, but sometime in the future for sure. Comment to let me know whether you guys would like that or not!**


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